Wednesday, November 28, 2012

You spend the entire week prior to date night bouncing about in anticipation. You call up all your girlfriends to squeal and ask for fashion advice, gush about just how cute that boy is, and fantasize about how the date is going to end.

On the night itself, you dress up to the nines, spend an hour applying make-up, another twenty minutes on those soft, loose curls. You slip into your most feminine pair of heels, and when you meet that cute crush who has finally asked you out, you smile at him shyly.

He glances at you with admiring eyes and takes you in from head to toe, telling you that you look good tonight. Then, he says something funny, and you break out into laughter, and he does a double-take immediately.

WHY?

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THAT'S RIGHT.

Stained yellow teeth that's enough to turn off even the strongest-hearted pursuer.
Yellow and stained teeth just ain't attractive, even if you've got the most gorgeous face and hottest figure to boot!

And that's exactly what this entry is all about: Achieving 3X whiter teeth with Darlie Expert White, the latest professional whitening toothpaste to come into town!

There are many causes of yellow/stained teeth, and most of you may be thinking right now, "BUT I DON'T SMOKE! AND I BRUSH MY TEETH TWICE A DAY, AND EVEN FLOSS!" You might be surprised to know that other than poor oral hygiene, it is actually the consumption of certain foods and beverages that's the main culprit of stained teeth!

In fact, drinks like coffee, tea, coke, or even wine can be the biggest offenders when it comes to staining teeth. But for all of us caffeine addicts out there (I'm a huge tea drinker) it is practically impossible to tear us apart from our beloved beverages, no?

Here comes help: Darlie Expert White is inspired by professional whitening treatments used in daily dental care – Ultrasonic scaling and Polishing. Specially enhanced with Prophylaxis Silica-micro particles (PS-mp), an ingredient similar to what dentist uses, it helps to provide a professional teeth-whitening experience for all, revealing a shiny confident smile!

Prevention is always better than cure, and Darlie Expert White is scientifically proven to have up to 3X Whitening Effect and also helps prevent up to 80% of stain and tartar accumulation! PS-mp, the key whitening ingredient in Darlie Expert White works by forming a protective whitening shield that prevents stains, effectively reducing accumulative surface stain!

If you still don't believe me and need to see it with your own eyes, I've even conducted a video experiment to prove my claims!

In case you couldn't see it properly in the video.. here's the results of the experiment! Darlie Expert White really helps to prevent stains!! The HAP Tablet that was soaked in Darlie Expert White Toothpaste solution was significantly MUCH MUCH MUCH whiter, than the one that was soaked in Normal Fluoride Toothpaste!

My review on Darlie Expert White

I've been using the Darlie Expert White twice daily for a week already, and I swear my teeth are definitely whiter! D: Love the minty taste of Darlie Expert White which freshens my breath up instantly, and I like it that the texture isn't thick and gooey! (You know how some brands of toothpaste feel like cement in the mouth) In short, I love it!

So, remember to brush and floss daily, and see a dentist periodically to keep your teeth sparkly white! And most importantly of all... USE DARLIE EXPERT WHITE! Tested and proven.

Darlie Expert White retails at $5.90, available in most leading supermarkets, pharmacy and convenience stores! Get yours today for those pearly white teeth!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Did you know that last Tuesday, the 13th of November, was also World Kindness Day? And on this significant occasion, our very own Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) also organised a very very special event to celebrate kindness, graciousness, and all things good!

This event was held at VivoCity's Sky Park Amphitheatre, and the moment I stepped outside into the Sky Park, I was handed a bright cheery yellow gerbera by a volunteer with a huge smile on his face! So many happy vibes! Everyone was merrily holding on to their yellow daisies, posing for pictures, and all looking so buoyant and cheerful!!! There's simply something about receiving flowers, be it from a stranger or a loved one, that magically puts a smile on the face of the receiver. What a lovely sight!

Here's my beautifully framed polaroid picture with Nuffie Jayne!

And it was time for the show to begin!

Look at the huge turn-out of people, all champions for the cause of Kindness! ^.^ From young married couples with their children, to some elderly aunties and uncles.. Basically Singaporeans from all walks of life! :D All of them waiting patiently for the exciting show to begin!
Guess who was the guest-of-honor.. None other than our favourite Returning Officer, Mr Yam Ah Mee!!! It was funny, but all of us were so star-struck to see him in real life! He is so so so friendly and set everyone in an exuberant mood with his energy and happy vibes! Managed to get a handshake with Mr Yam too as I was just seated in the row behind him!!! Teehee.

The show kicked off with emcee DJ Emily Teng from Power 98, and we were treated to a series of remarkable cheerleading showcases from some of the top teams in our own Primary and Secondary Schools! The routines even incorporated little skits and cheers about Kindness and Graciousness, and it was indeed an entertaining and enjoyable segment to see the younger generation so enthusiastically cheering for Kindness! We also had a performance by Ngee Ann Polytechnic's percussion band, which was equally applaudable!
After the opening acts, came the part of the show I was really looking forward to: performances by the artistes from Dream Academy! Talents such as Selena Tan, Judee Tan, Robin Goh, Siti Khalijah and Kumar appeared on stage for their own stand-up comedy/short skits and they were SO so so hilarious!!!

From impersonating a customer service officer to a TCM medical practitioner, they had me so thoroughly convulsed with laughter with all the wise cracks, funny cultural quips and antics! There was also an energetic audience participation segment with the Dream Academy artistes giving away CDs to the enthusiastic audience, when they answered simple questions on Kindness!
It was such fun!

I really enjoyed myself tremendously at the event and also, truly appreciated how kindness comes in all forms, big and small. It started pouring in the middle of the day, and all the selfless volunteers formed up a sheltered pathway with umbrellas so that everyone could get to the amphitheatre without getting wet! I thought this gesture really celebrated the spirit of the day, and demonstrated how kindness can be as easy as simply holding up an umbrella to shelter a fellow human being :)))

:')
Nonetheless, the rain did not dampen our spirits at all!! And the very last thing we did, was a united effort that required each and every one in the audience to hold up the big gerbera daisy printed umbrellas that were given to us in our goodie bag to form a huge canvas of sunny gerbera daisies!! Such a heart-warming sight, and I felt ridiculously touched to see everyone's spirit of unity!

THANK YOU to every single person who made the entire event so so enjoyable and fun!!!

***

Have you done something kind lately?

According to the dictionary definition,Kindness:kind·ness/ˈkīn(d)nis/Noun:The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. A kind act.

It's not easy in today's society to be friendly, generous, or considerate. We're all so caught up in our own selfish pursuits that we forget how easy it is to be kind! Be it a simple considerate act of giving up your seat on the train to an elderly person, or perhaps offering a lost stranger directions, it could make a person's day :)

“In every day of your life, there are opportunities to perform little acts of kindness for others, both by conscious acts of will and unconscious example. Each smallest act of kindness - even just words of hope when they are needed, the remembrance of a birthday, a compliment that engenders a smile - reverberates across great distances and spans of time, affecting lives unknown to the one whose generous spirit was the source of this good echo, because kindness is passed on and grows each time it’s passed, until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage years later and far away.” — Dean Koontz

***

I have encountered MANY random acts of kindness from strangers, and some have really touched me to the bottom of my heart! Some may say that Singapore is an uncompassionate and ungracious society, but I have met so many people who have proved that kindness is not dead, but is alive and flourishing in our society.

One such incident happened a few years ago, when I was cycling outdoors with YZ and stupidly managed to fall into a huge drain on the roads!! :((( My knee was bleeding badly from the fall, and we quickly made a stop-over at the nearest coffee shop to use the washroom to wash and clean up the injury. Upon seeing my bleeding knee, all the nearby passerbys came over, some offering tissue, and others with band-aids! Even the drinks stall uncle gave me some ice because he said I should use the ice to stop the swelling!

Here I was, a complete stranger, and everyone was rushing to help me in spite of what they were doing. It was truly a heartwarming feeling, indeed, and goes to show that true compassion and kindness still reside in the hearts of our fellow human beings!

And... I am a super absent-minded, exceedingly careless person who frequently misplaces my personal items.. :( If you would believe it, I actually departed from a food court without realising that I had left my wallet behind, in which contained almost two thousand dollars cash (I had just withdrew the money from the ATM to pay for some bills) as well as all my important cards and identification! Worse still, I only found out two hours later, and I was SURE that my wallet would be gone!

I immediately called up a friend who was in the area to go back to the food court to check for me, although I knew the chances were practically zero. I was so dreading his call back to me to tell me that the search was futile, but amazingly enough, he told me that he managed to retrieve my wallet, with EVERYTHING intact, including the cash, all thanks to the kind cleaner who saw the wallet and kept it aside for me! What a miracle! I am so utterly grateful to have had the wonderful fortune to run across such kind souls in a situation such as this! :')

In my bid to demonstrate kindness in my own little ways, here is the "Bloggers' Edition" of A Nation of Kindness, featuring Qiuqiu, Noel, Emily and myself!! This is the first time I've recorded a video like this.. SO PLEASE PARDON THE AWKWARDNESS!!! I felt very silly and slightly embarrassed, but after I saw the surprised and happy smiles on the faces of the serving staff, a little warm glow was ignited in my heart! Hehe. It sounds corny.. I know. It honestly feels great to be able to make someone's day, no matter in how small a way!

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And now, it's your turn to spread a little Kindness..What does Kindness mean to you?

Translate it into a single photo and you can walk away with a prize! Using Instagram, hashtag your photos with #aNationofKindness and a caption that explains the meaning behind them. Top 3 photos stand to win exclusive shopping vouchers worth $100!
Contest closes on 30 November 2012.
For more information, log on to http://makesomeonesday.sg to find out more!

#ANationOfKindness

And I would like to end off with this quote.

"Kindness is an intangible gift and you never know how far it will travel with those you give it to."

I know that there are many of you reading this, but how many of you will actually bother to contribute in your own small way by just "liking" SKM's Facebook page so that more and more people will come to know of this campaign? It's only a simple click of the button, and will only bring about positive change! A big change starts with a small step from every single one of you, and remember, no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

I admit it.. I secretly (okay maybe not so secretly) REALLY REALLY enjoy attending events and also dressing up/making up for them. And then at those events I get to take nice pretty photos of myself in nice pretty clothes and nice pretty makeup (or other exciting new things), sometimes I get to eat nice yummy food, and then I get to have exclusive previews of nice pretty NEW makeup, and I even get to bring some home! (Such superficial joys in life. But it is okay. One can be superficial whilst one is able to be.)

^.^

It sounds very very awesome, I know. BUT DON'T FORGET. It's hard work too! Like now, I'm blogging at 2.30AM and turning into a dark eye-circles panda.... @_@ Because my job is to share with you (my readers) all the awesomeness I enjoyed so that you can get to know of awesome products and other awesome things.

I love it when Winter rolls around, because all the beauty brands start launching beautifully themed collections for the holiday season, and I am really excited to share Make Up Store's Bon Bon collection that's out in stores already!

We had a media/press event held some time ago at Canele, which was totally in line with the theme. With this season's Bon Bon collection, Make Up Store is indulging in all things fun and sugary sweet!

As quoted from Mika Liias, the founder of Make Up Store, the inspiration behind Bon Bon actually comes from Katy Perry's music video "California Gurls", and is a combination of the fun and a little crazy, fused with some old-fashioned styled pastry shops where you'll find cupcakes in punchy colors like red and green.

(Katy Perry is so strange sometimes)

I love how the event was styled so extravagantly, with the collection being displayed on cupcake stands and cake plates! We had tasty little treats in the form of mini cakes and biscotti, and even learnt how to bake our very own macarons as taught by Chef Christophe Grilo of Canele. Which was definitely not as easy as he made it look. But they turned out delicious anyway! Anything with that much sugar is almost impossible not to turn out tasty.

Back to the Bon Bon collection: I got to bring home some products from the collection, and I love them!

I'm gonna highlight some of my favourite items:

Microshadows in Pistachio Bioscotti and Cupcake (SGD27)

Despite the bright and colorful theme of BonBon, I found these shadows surprisingly wearable, in toned down shades of green and a mauve with a purple tinge so faint it barely shows when worn. While Pistachio Biscotti is quite true to color as seen in pan, Cupcake shows up as an almost brown-ish hue with just a tinge of purple. Both are slightly frosty and have gorgeous iridescence to them!

Vitamin DayPrimer (SGD87)

This superhero primer not only moisturizes and calms, but also cushions the skin with ingredients such as shea butter, vitamine A, E and carrot extract, and works perfectly as a primer for seamless makeup! The texture is light-weight and oil-free, suitable even for sensitive skin.

Twingloss in Nougat (SGD29)

This cool lipgloss comes with an "inner pigmented gloss" and "outer high shine gloss", which mixes perfectly for a rich glossy color! Depending on which part of the tube you squeeze, a different proportion of gloss comes out, so you can customise the look to your liking! Super cool, and one of my favourite products!

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Evonne and I had a ball of a time making those macarons: or rather, failing epicly at them. Hahaha!

(As you might be able to tell from our hair colors, this media event was some time ago!)

I love the psychedelic candy look on the model, from head to toe!

Macarons in the making!

AND.... I AM VERY PROUD OF THESE THREE MACARONS. The only three that actually turned out looking pretty!!!! Shells complete with feet and all. #missionaccomplished

They are sakura and matcha flavoured. Anyone interested in the recipe? ^.^

Us swatching the products like crazy. The back of our hands are always covered with a variety of different products at the end of each event, haha.

A lovely shot with the beautiful owners of Make Up Store Singapore and Indonesia! Thank you for having us! :)

Saccharinely candy for such a sweet event. For the girls asking about the jelly wedges, I brought them in, intending to sell on TVD but then the shop said they were out of stock later on! So I'm not sure where you can get them. But I love them, extremely comfortable and easy to pair!

***

I spent my weekend doing practically nothing productive.. which is terrible! :( Feeling stressed for next week already and it's not even Monday morning yet. Hope I survive the week!

Oh I am still feeling a tad strange in those pearly whites.. Re-mastering the art of smiling! :D

And an outfit from last week when Evonne and I attended an Elizabeth Arden event: Upcoming Kate Trench Blazer in Peacock Blue from TheVelvetDolls matched with Zara floral shorts and my Bimba and Lola rainbow weave bag! Shoes are from Sœurs! LOVE the peacock blue shade so much, I received many compliments on it!!

By the way, NARS is new in town, and I got my hands on the highly-raved NARS Orgasm! Tested it out today with my new Lancome Cheek Brush #6 which is a joy to use! Oh, i am such a makeup junkie. (But I love)

Here's to a duper awesome week ahead for everyone, including myself!!! Thank you for reading!

Friday, November 23, 2012

In addition to the well-known Red Door fragrance (you can read my review on the Red Door eau de toilette here), Elizabeth Arden has introduced a new fragrance, the Red Door Aura.

The Red Door Aura has very much the same essence of the sensual Red Door fragrance, but reincarnated to become youthful and modern with the playful citrusy scents of Raspberry and Orange blossom, in harmony with the Bergamot Lily and Jasmine Petals, and ending in a lightly sensual musk of Creamy Amber and Sandalwood.

Top Notes : Luscious Raspberry, Bergamot Lily

Middle Notes : Orange Flower, Rose, Jasmine Petals

Base Notes : Creamy Amber, Sandalwood, Soft Musk

Red Door Aura is a sensual yet bright floral fragrance that evokes the cheerful romance of a bouquet while holding onto the fresh smooth tones of wood. The dazzling floral bouquet opens with a sparkling introduction of Luscious Raspberry and Sicilian Bergamot. The heart maintains the timeless signature of Red Door but is made more youthful and airy using luminous accents of Orange Flower and the ethereal quality of Jasmine.

The Red Door Aura fragrance comes in a pink glass flacon, with clean lines that represent the iconic Elizabeth Arden Red Door. This is a scent that I've fallen instantly with! Just like the original Red Door fragrance, the Red Door Aura has got a distinctively sensual and musky scent to it, but is well-complemented by the lighter and citrusy notes of raspberry and orange blossom, making it extremely wearable from day to night!

I attended a bloggers' session with Elizabeth Arden, and got the chance to be my very own perfumer! :P With the different key notes that make up the Red Door Aura, we were provided with a bag charm and spent some time creating our own combination of notes for a customised fragranced bag charm :) I LOVE the Orange Flower and Rose scents, with a touch of Sandalwood for musk!

***

Elizabeth Arden has also brought in a new makeup line: the NEW Beautiful Color Eye Shadow Singles and Duos. Formulated with innovative skincare benefits, the new multitasking eye shadows enhance every woman’s look, true to Elizabeth Arden’s quest to make every woman feel confidently beautiful.

Juli and myself! We were given a mini eye-makeover by an experienced MUA, who carefully created a sophisticated smokey-eyed look with Elizabeth Arden's eye shadows.

I really liked the final look, a smoky eye that's soft but striking at the same time!

Each compact eye shadow comes with its own mirror and applicator. I love the little touches, like the embossed red door icon on the eye shadow powder :)

The eyeshadow colors are extremely pigmented and have excellent color pay-off! They are absolutely luxurious to use, with a smooth, easy-to-apply texture that feels almost creamy.

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Red Door Aura Eau de Toilette Spray Naturel, 30ml is available at SGD59Red Door Aura Eau de Toilette Spray Naturel, 50ml is available at SGD91Red Door Aura Eau de Toilette Spray Naturel, 100ml is available at SGD114

Beautiful Color Eye Shadow Singles are available at SGD34Beautiful Color Eye Shadow Duos are available at SGD46

Both the Red Door Aura collection and the Beautiful Color Eye Shadows are now available islandwide at all Elizabeth Arden Singapore counters.

A shot with Claire, Tiphanie and Joey! (If you realise, this is the same outfit I wore for the HP Topshot event because I attended both event on the same day, hahaha)
Thank you to the lovely Isabel and Joey from Elizabeth Arden for having us! :)

***

And........ MY BRACES ARE FINALLY OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!

*cue sparkles around smile*

So so so so happy about it!!! :D Though actually, I suddenly feel very strange because all these white expanse of teeth is showing, instead of bits of metal, hahaha. It took almost exactly one year and I am still not used to the naked straight white teeth now.. Haha!

好久不见。。^.^ Will blog about the braces journey and maybe before and after photos when I have time!! Though it's not over yet, the retainers will come in next week and I will have to be on retainers forever! Meanwhile, I shall savour the brand new freedom of my teeth and SMILEEEEEE!!!!!

Yina says hi

Welcome to my blog! My name is Yina Goh, and I own online boutique The Velvet Dolls. I'm passionate about travel, fashion, food, beauty and music. I love photography and taking photos to document my everyday!

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For professional inquiries, collaborations or engagements, hit me up at yina@bloggerati.me!